Rejection
by J.4.5.M.1.N.3
Summary: That's all Frank's feeling at the moment. His heart had broken into a million pieces. Symptoms show he's struggling from a condition and the team know something's up. Only one person can put it right. Has Stella gone too far? Will she know that she's broken his heart one too many times? Warning: Emotionally crushing
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody! I know, I'm excited too about updating on my own name, but thanks for all the help Hope, Hannah and Rach :). This is my dad's spare laptop in case you guys are wondering. He got it like 2 days ago and I'm using it for 'homework'.**

 **Hope y'all will enjoy this new story that I'm still working on :)**

 **Jasmine xoxo**

Still leaning back on Tom's chair and running a hand through his curly, black hair, Frank sighed from the recent events. He just couldn't get them out of his head. They replayed over and over and no matter how hard he tried, his couldn't shake it out of his mind. Why does she keep doing this to him? And why does it hurt so bad now?

 _2 hours earlier…_

Frank was unclogging the boys' toilets when his mop started to flash a rapid, red light. He immediately knew what that meant. He rushed out of there as quickly as possible, making sure his cart of care-taking tools didn't fall over in the process. He made sure no one was watching when he slid open the light switch and placed his thumb on the biometric panel. Glancing around more time, Frank opened the door and pushed his cart into the corner of the cupboard. He took one final breath before pulling the lever and plummeting down to HQ.

His appearance changed dramatically when the lift doors opened. Frank now had on his M.I.9 suit on, his glasses had disappeared and his hair had been groomed a little. He was a little shocked to see the team standing there instead of Stella; he was expecting another mission. Hiding his disappointment and showing confusion, he walked over to the table in the centre of HQ, facing his team who were standing on the other side of it.

"What are you doing here?" Frank hissed at them. "You are supposed to be in class; we don't have a mission."

"But we do." Tom threw a bunch of files onto the table. Frank opened the files when Tom gestured for him to open them. He skimmed the first page, not believing what he was reading. He looked up at the team who looked down all of a sudden.

"Where did you find this?" He asked them. Dan, Aneisha and Keri all looked at Tom while Frank waited for an explanation.

"I found them in the boys' toilets. The files were hidden in there and I found them before anyone else did. It turns out we have a mole inside of KORPS and they're trying to send us information about their history." Frank looked impressed; he didn't think that anyone could pull that off.

"I mean seriously, couldn't the mole have hidden the files somewhere more hygienic – " Frank looked at Keri sternly, telling her silently that it wasn't the time and place. Keri stopped straight away and let Frank talk.

"So The Grand Master actually has a successor and they've been ordered to assassinate every agent in M.I.9?" Frank swallowed deeply while the team nodded in reply.

"Right, we need to stop them. Tom, try and track something down on the M.I.9 database. Keri, Dan, Aneisha, do whatever you can to help him. I'll call Stella and warn her about this." Frank ignored the 'sneaky' glances between the team and made his way into another section of HQ.

Pulling out his phone, he took a deep breath. Calling Stella was a bit of a put down for him; it always lowered his self esteem, but he knew he had to call her otherwise the whole of M.I.9 could be in more jeopardy than they already were.

"Stella."

" _Ah, Frank. What a nice surprise."_ She responded sarcastically. Frank frowned and sighed deeply.

"I'm not in the mood, Stella. I've got a situation report."

" _Speak."_

"Well, it turns out we have a mole inside KORPS. They hid information in the school and Tom found it in a bunch of files. According to this information, The Grand Master has a successor. They've been ordered to assassinate the whole of M.I.9." Stella was speechless. Frank waited patiently for an answer; he knew that it was a lot for her to take in all at once.

" _This is not good. We need to have everything as secure as it can be. Files, buildings, the mainframe, everything. I'll get on it right away."_

"Thanks Stella. And I was just wondering if we could talk some time, about us maybe?" He heard her sigh with frustration over the phone.

" _Frank, stop it. Thanks to the situation you alerted me to, I'm now under a lot of stress. And also, I'm trying to check all of the agents backgrounds very closely and putting them all under interrogation."_ Frank heard her snap. He had to hold the phone slightly away from his ear.

"So that's a no then?" He didn't get a reply; Stella had already hung up. He felt something snap inside of him. A sharp pain hit him hard and fast in his chest. He hissed through his teeth and clutched his chest with his hand while putting the phone in his pocket with the other. A wave of anger as frustration washed over him. The feeling hit him like a ton of bricks: he didn't know how to escape. He crouched down slightly while inhaling and exhaling deeply through his teeth. Maybe, he thought, just maybe she'd hurt him one too many times.

He felt helpless. He felt hopeless. He felt as if no one needed him, wanted him, cared for him. His brain just froze in the middle of his thoughts. _Maybe that's all true,_ he thought, _nobody needs me, wants me, cares for me. Everybody hates me._

Frank saw a couple of body-shaped figures move towards him. When they went to pull him up, he then realised he slid to the ground. The energy drained from his body, not returning any time soon, but those figures wouldn't give up. He couldn't quite see clearly, but his mind wasn't clouded therefore he knew those figures were his team. _They probably heard the thud,_ he thought.

His vision focused on what was in front of him. He saw the main part of HQ and knew that the team had helped him there. They sat him on a chair, knowing something was up, Aneisha's judgements more than anyone else's. But she knew better than to disturb his train of thought right that minute and gestured for everyone to go back to school.

Frank didn't move a muscle when the lift doors closed. He sat there, staring at a blank space on the wall. His mind froze on Stella, the only person he really knew was hurting him. He knew that she knew she was hurting him, so why did she keep doing it? Massaging the bridge of his nose, he paused the recent events and sighed. Stella was so beautiful. She was one of the only things that could brighten up his day, and then he flicked back into reality. He _knew_ that she wasn't his anymore. He _knew_ that she was the only one hurting him. Then why did he always _think_ that there might be a small chance for her to love him one more time?

 _Present time…_

Frank hadn't moved. He hadn't flinched, he hadn't spoken. His eyes didn't even move when Tom came down to charge his communicator. But he knew that Tom was worried about him, but he shouldn't. Frank was fine, wasn't he?

He hadn't gone back to his care-taking job, which was a first for him. He had always loved seeing the kids walking about, even if they were on their phones. He had always loved how they talk to each other with a language that Frank still gets confused about, even if they did insult people. He had always loved how active they were, even if they couldn't be bothered to pick up a piece of rubbish and put it in the bin. And he had always loved how they can be polite when they felt like it, even if they did have the worst timing.

That thought brought him back to Stella. He remembered when she was disguised as a school supply teacher. His jaw had dropped at her appearance, especially when he saw her hair down; he hadn't seen that in ten years.

But then the recent events came flooding back to him, and he realised that _that_ Stella was the same person he had always loved, but had hurt him so many times.


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you are all having a great day! Thanks for all those who reviewed because as every author knows, getting reviews are amazing! Sorry for springing the surprise at the end of this chapter a little too fast, but oh well…**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Jasmine xoxo**

 _But then the recent events came flooding back to him, and he realised that_ that _Stella was the same person he had always loved, but had hurt him so many times._

Frank started to screw the bolts tighter on a water pipe. It was now the day after he had had all of those thoughts, those loving, yet hurtful thoughts. He finally decided to move and drive home, only just focusing on the road in front of him.

Once he had parked his car in his driveway, he trudged out of the car slowly with a saggy expression on his face. As soon as he opened the door, he groaned; he had just remembered that his mother was coming for dinner. _Could things get any worse,_ he thought _she always criticises my cooking._

He couldn't be bothered making dinner, so he lay down in his bed, staring at the dusty ceiling above. His eyes started to unfocus and soon he slipped into a day dream. It was more a train of thought. His mind went wandering back to Stella, making him more unhappy that he already was, if that were possible. But he was so exhausted and lazy, he didn't even try telling his brain to switch scenes. So he stayed there, laying on his back, eyes unfocused and thinking of the person that made him snap.

He thought he saw a shadow pass over his face, but he shrugged it off. Then only seconds later he heard a faint voice, like someone was shouting at him from a long distance. And because he couldn't be bothered to find out what it was, he didn't flinch or even bother to move his gaze.

Then he felt a cold hand pull him up, almost dislocating his arm. That same hand pushed him out of the house and into a car. He finally decided to find out who that hand belonged to and turned his head to see a woman sitting in the driver's seat, backing out of the driveway.

"Mum, what are you doing?" His voice was monotonous and flat. No tone was used which made his mum worry even more than she already was.

"Honey, you don't look so good. We're going to the doctor's." Frank groaned and slammed the back of his head against the head rest like a ton of bricks. His mum took a deep breath and continued to focus more on the road than her son's strange behaviour.

Time passed slowly for Frank for every second was a second of pure despair. He dreaded to move out of his surprisingly comfortable spot and refused strongly when his heard his Mum's faint voice of calling him to get out. He sunk lower until his knees hit the car floor. He sat there, slipping every few seconds and still dreading to get out of the car.

His mum finally decided she had had enough and dragged him out of the car by holding his underarms and pulling. Frank thought she wouldn't get far since he knew that his mum wasn't the fittest person on the block, but it turned out he hadn't visited her for a long time.

Returning to his face of boredom, Frank stared at the car. It started to get smaller and smaller as his mum dragged him along the bumpy road, leaving scars all over his calves. He still didn't feel a thing and groaned as his felt the smooth surface of the hospital floor.

His eyes unfocused while he felt a slightly more prickly surface under his backside. Repeating the same process with the car seat, his eyes closed slowly, the last thing he saw being those hospital doors open one last time.

It only felt like a few seconds until his felt two cold hands slapping his face quickly and sharply. His eyes widened at once, ignoring the fact that he was feeling glum. His mum gestured for him to stand up and walk. He didn't move straight away but after seeing his mum drag him out of the car like that, he really didn't want a repeat of that; he would feel really embarrassed.

The next person he saw was one of the doctors, Dr Chloe Anderson, who he assumed was going to ask his mum about his odd behaviour. He just flopped onto one of the chairs while his mum politely sat down on the other one next to him.

"So, Mrs London, your son has been gloomy? Grumpy?" Frank's mum nodded while he looked at the ground and shoved his hands into the pockets of his caretaker overalls.

"Has he been moving at all?" Frank rolled his eyes.

"I can talk, you know." He felt very embarrassed that his mum was at the doctor's with him as well as the previous comment.

"I am well aware of that Mr London, now if you don't mind…" Dr Anderson typed something on the computer. From Frank's eyes it said 'Loss of Energy'. _As if,_ he thought, _I haven't lost any energy… Have I?_

"Has he had any less interest in his hobbies? His job, perhaps?"

"Well, I can only assume he has since he never even bothered to change out of his work clothes. The Head Master will probably call me tomorrow and report on any strange behaviour." Frank chuckled for the first time that day.

"Doubt it." He mumbled; Mr Flatley wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. It would more likely be Mrs King complaining about his lack of work.

"Has he been like this all day?" Mrs London nodded, concerned about his behaviour. Frank had never acted this way since his teenage years.

"When I arrived at his house for dinner, he was acting strangely. Well, you can say he's down in the dumps." Dr Anderson took a note of that on her computer. She turned back around to face Frank who was still staring down at the floor.

"Now, Mr London, I have some questions for you."

"Joy." He responded sarcastically. The doctor ignored him and continued to talk.

"Have you eaten anything recently?" Frank squinted at the floor, thinking hard for the first time all day.

"Well, to be honest, I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast, but I'm not hungry." She took a note down and turned back to Frank, still thinking about his appetite change. He then yawned and the doctor had more suspicions.

"Have you been sleepy lately, Mr London?" He nodded while yawning for a second time. His mum looked at him sternly but he just shrugged and slouched back into his chair.

"Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. Which would you like first?" Frank decided straight away; he didn't like making long decisions.

"The good news."

"Well the good news is that there is a reason behind all of your odd behaviour." She told Frank.

"And what is it?" His mum frowned at his rudeness. The doctor sighed sadly, knowing that neither of them was going to like the answer.

"Mr London, I think you have depression."


	3. Chapter 3

" _Mr London, I think you have depression."_

Frank and his mum looked shell shocked. Frank? Depressed? That couldn't be right. He shook his head to check if he was still zoned out. His mother, however, just looked at Frank, sorrow filling her inside.

"I'm not depressed!" Frank finally managed to spit out. The doctor raised an eyebrow at him; it's not likely for someone to back chat to her.

"I can assure you Mr London that you do indeed have depression. I have my degree, so please don't question my authority." She stated calmly. Frank's jaw snapped shut; it was the first time he had been shut up all day.

"I'm sorry Mrs London. This must be a lot to take in – "

"Nah you think?" Frank mumbled under his breath but his mum have him a sharp look. He rolled his eyes and folded his arms in front of him.

"Well, I'm here to help if you need some." The doctor gave them both a warm smile.

"Thank you doctor. Come on Frank." His mum stood up but once again he didn't move. She sighed in frustration and massaged the bridge on her nose.

"If you don't get up right now, I'll drag you along these floors all the way to the car where everyone can see you." That made Frank stand up almost immediately. His mum smiled in satisfaction while Doctor Anderson hid a smirk. They said goodbye for the final time and left the room, feeling a lot more upset than before.

"Mum, I'm not depressed." Frank stated sternly. They were both walking back to the car, Frank trudging behind his mother.

"Yes you are, dear. Come on, walk faster." His mum didn't look at him in the eye but kept on walking. Frank huffed but obeyed his mum.

"Do you want some dinner?" Frank rolled his eyes; his mum always insisted on doing everything for him and sometimes doesn't realise that he's an adult.

"Mum, I'm not hungry. Just drive home." He snapped. She didn't say anything back because she knew it would just fuel the fire.

The whole ride home Frank was trying to process the thought. He had _depression._ He knew it didn't sound right, but he also knew that it was true. Then he started to panic about his job, both as a caretaker and as an M.I.9 senior officer. He couldn't discuss it with his mum, which was a real pain, so he had to decide for himself, which he hated doing. He knew that if he stayed home, the team would get suspicious and he would have to tell him what's happening, but if he continued working, the team would get even more suspicious. He finally decided, just as his mum pulled up at his driveway, to work for a few days, and if it was too much, then he would have to take some time off.

"Come on, dear. You need some sleep." His mum featured for him to get out of the car. Again, he mentally complained but he knew he would get an ass-whooping if he didn't move. He trudged all the way to his bedroom and then flopped down onto his bed. He turned his head to left and just managed to read the figures on his digital clock. It read 8:30.

"Eight thirty! That's way too early for me!" Frank exclaimed. He then realised that he was talking to himself.

"I'm going mad…" His eyes unfocused but he fixed his gaze on the ceiling. He didn't know what would happen to him the next day. What would Mrs King think of him when he starts moping around the corridors? Or worse, Stella? He got really frustrated when he thought of Stella. _This was all her fault,_ he thought to himself, his face screwing up with rage, _if she just wanted to talk, none of this crap would have happened._

He yelled with anger and frustration. He yelled so loud, even Tom would've been distracted from Blade Quest. No one came to check what the noise was, not even his mum. He sat up and looked out of his window to see only one car on the driveway; his mum had gone home. Frank knew his mum always left a note, so he stood up, stretched his legs and managed to make it to the kitchen without plonking onto any furniture. He saw a note on the fridge. It only had one word written on it.

 _Eat._

Frank rolled his eyes and opened the fridge to see a big container of curry on the top shelf; Frank loved curry. But still, even after seeing the curry, he wasn't hungry. So he collapsed onto the sofa in the next room, not bothered to move to his room anymore, and fell into a deep sleep, having the same nightmare over and over again.

 _Trudging through HQ, Frank plonked himself onto Tom's chair. At that moment Stella came in looking as stunning as ever. Frank stood up and walked over to her. They stared deep into each others' eyes._

" _Why did you say no?" Stella stayed silent and wouldn't move her gaze._

" _Why did you say no?" Frank repeated. When Stella didn't move once again, he started to get worried. He waved a hand in front of her face, but she still didn't move._

" _Stella, why can't we talk? Why do you always push me away?" Frank tried to take ahold of Stella's hands, but his hands went straight through them. Frowning, Frank looked down at Stella's hands. He tried to take ahold of them, but it's like she was a hologram. His eyes widened with panic and his hands were waving everywhere. Every time his hand passed through a part of her, she faded away._

" _No…no! No Stella, don't do this to me! Please! Don't do this…!" Stella stood still, she didn't flinch, she didn't twitch. Stella didn't move a muscle. Frank started to freak out and kept trying to hug her, hold her, but nothing would work._

" _You're right, it's not the time." Frank look shocked that Stella finally spoke._

" _You're right, it's not the time…" He voice faded away as she disappeared into thin air. Frank froze; this time, he had lost Stella for good._


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! OH MY GOSH! I LITERALLY CANNOT CALM DOWN BECAUSE TROJAN KORPS (series 6 episode 2) WAS ON TV YESTERDAY AND IT SHOWED THE WHOLE EPISODE AND I RECORDED IT AND SQUEEEEEEEEEE! I swear I could go on for hours about how amazing it is to finally be able to watch it after two years because other than 'Eye On Their Stars', it's the only whole M.I. High episode that I haven't seen in a while! You guys don't know how excited I am!**

 **Anyway, enough about me! On with the chapter!**

 **To be honest, I couldn't stop laughing when I wrote this one, but I'm pretty sure you guys don't get my humour XD :/**

 **Love you all,**

 **Jasmine xoxo**

Frank managed to find his way to his cupboard and grabbed his toolbox and cart. He was still a bit distracted and kept thinking about that dream from the previous night; it was one of the worst nightmares that had occurred to him after the KORPS assault. He finally decided to suck it up and get on with the day, even though he might not make it to the end at St Hearts.

Some of the students started to arrive a few minutes after he had, including the four spies. When Frank saw them walking up to him, he groaned; he really didn't need that at that moment.

"Hey Frank. What's up?" Keri asked with her usual perkiness. Frank kept a sour face and didn't reply. He continued to wheel his cart down the corridor. The teenagers frowned and trailed behind him. When Frank didn't stop, Dan ran in front and stopped him from moving any further.

"Frank, what was that? You just completely ignored Keri and she didn't even do anything! _For once…_ " Keri frowned; she wasn't deaf. Frank shrugged and tried to move Dan out of the way; he really didn't want to talk about it.

"Frank! That was really uncalled for! What's up with you?" Aneisha made him look her right in the eyes. Frank moaned and rolled his eyes; he was getting really sick of them invading into his personal life – but then again, they _were_ spies.

"Look, it's none of your business, so just go to class." He snapped and dodged Dan so he could walk away. He could feel their eyes piercing into the back of his head, wondering why he was acting that way. Frank heard a distant beeping noise and looked under his cart to see his screwdriver was flashing a bright red. He groaned loudly, causing a few teenagers heads to turn in his direction. He walked back towards the Caretaker's Cupboard, covering his screwdriver with a dry sponge.

Making sure everyone had gone to class, he scanned his finger on the biometric panel and opened the door where he parked his cart at the back. Then he turned around and pulled the broom, plummeting 230 feet below the school to HQ.

When the lift doors opened, he saw Stella waiting behind the round table. He sighed, walking towards the table so the table was standing in between him and Stella. She noticed something off about him, but she shrugged it off, regaining her professionalism.

"What do you want?" He snapped. Stella looked a little taken back by his sudden outburst. She frowned and finally decided to ask him what was wrong.

"Frank, what's wrong?" Frank pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.

"Yeah, see _now_ you care what's wrong with me. It's none of your business so just get lost."Frank gave her a cold stare. Anger started to build up inside both of them. Stella was just about to burst when he stopped her.

"Don't you _dare_ tell that just because you're my boss I have to tell you every, single, little detail that's going on with me right now, because _that_ is a load of bull. You just want to know everything don't you Stella? Miss, Chief Agent Knight? Well guess what? I'm not telling you anything since you caused this crap in the first place! I don't care if you give me detention, heck I don't even care if you _suspend_ me. This is a personal matter, and like you always say, 'the greater good always outweighs the individual concern', so I don't want _you_ invading _my_ personal life. Got it?!" That was the last straw for Stella. She could handle the pain from a regular colleague, or her superiors, but not from Frank. Instead of retaliating, she stared straight into his eyes, sorrow filling her own. Her eyes welled up, and before she burst out crying, she stormed out of HQ and into the tunnels.

"You really messed up big time, London." Frank said to himself. He rubbed his forehead and sighed; he knew he shouldn't have done that, but he was just so angry with her and his depression took control of him. Now he didn't even know if they had a mission or not. He trudged back into the lift and slapped his forehead, cursing himself.

When Frank walked out of the cupboard, the teens were all waiting in front of the door, arms folded, with serious expressions on their faces. He knew that they wanted answers.

"What do you lot want?" He snapped. They all frowned; this definitely wasn't like Frank. Aneisha was the first to speak.

"We saw the CCTV footage." Frank once again pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"Why did you even bother?"

"When you ran away from us this morning, we knew something was up straight away, some slower than others – " she looked over at Tom who looked pretty embarrassed.

" – so I got Tom to bring up the CCTV while Mrs King went to talk with Mr Flatley, and what we saw was horrible. How could you do that her? She didn't deserve it!" Frank was outraged.

" _Didn't deserve it?!_ She caused all of this! She's just…ugh! She's driving me insane!" Frank was lucky that he didn't disturb any classes due to the noise he was making. Aneisha raised her eyebrow.

"So what _did_ she cause?" Frank let out a heavy sigh; typical Aneisha.

"Like I said this morning, it's none of your business! Now go back to class; Mrs King won't be happy." Frank walked down the corridor, screwdriver in hand. He knew that his team were pretty annoyed at home, but he couldn't care less. This wasn't their business. He wished that teenagers weren't so nosy – but then again, what did he expect from four teenage spies?

When he reached the same pipe he was working on the previous day, he bent down and started screwing the bolts tighter. His mind wandered back to Stella, which was no surprise to say the least. Frank tried to shake away the thoughts of their previous 'conversation' down in HQ, but he just couldn't seem to get rid of them. Why was the depression always making him remember the bad memories? He thought that the doctors should note that down as another side effect.

He thought about his choice of words; he knew that they weren't the nicest, but it could've gotten worse. He could imagine his face, flaming anger burning in his eyes, eyebrows furrowed with fury; he couldn't stand the thought of it. And then his thoughts rushed back to Stella's expression. She was quite shocked at his sudden outburst, and as he kept yelling, her face grew with sorrow and hurt. Then when he finished and started to breathe more heavily, he could see her eyes well up. Usually, he would try and comfort her and apologise to her straight away, but that was the Frank he said goodbye to twelve years ago. The Frank over the last two years would've so badly wanted to comfort her, but he knew that would breach so many protocols. But the Frank now, the depressed Frank, couldn't care less and didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt, until now.

His mind kept filling with guilty thoughts until he realised he'd screwed the bolt on too tight. He knew that the pipe was building up too much pressure, but before he could loosen the screw, it was too late. The water burst out of the pipe so fast Frank almost missed the fact that the pipe was leaking. He quickly started to repair the pipe and gush out the water from the corridors. That's when he realised that the burst pipe was like his relationship with Stella: things could patch up, but it would never be the same.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sup guys. I HAVE GOT SOME NOTICES FOR YOU ALL SO PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE BELOW. THANKS!You might want to read or re-read my profile because I've made a few adjustments. When you get to the 'Loves & Hates', please note that you take that in and make sure you acknowledge this, especially the Hates. Thank you, you lovely people! So Harry in the Hunger Games won't be able to update until the end of August/ beginning of September because of her phone contract, so sorry guys you're gonna have to wait a while. (I'm not quite sure of the details and this could all be false)**

 **Xoxhopiexox is going through some stuff that is rather not talk about so she's taking a bit of a break from FanFiction.**

 **I might not be able to update much because I've got some major homework issues. Sorry guys, school has to come first :-/**

 **I'm sorry about all this bad news but hopefully this chapter will make up for it xx**

 **Jasmine xoxo**

 _That's when he realised that the burst pipe was like his relationship with Stella: things could patch up, but it would never be the same._

Finally after fixing the water pipe, Frank trudged over to the Caretaker's Cupboard, slightly soaked. He wiped his thumb on the wall so the biometric panel wouldn't short circuit and pulled the broom, descending rapidly down to HQ.

When the lift doors opened, he saw Stella sitting on Tom's chair with her back turned to him. Frank knew that she was probably still sulking, but he had nothing to apologise for; she deserved it.

He tried to sneak back into the lift, but he stepped on one of Tom's biscuits and cursed himself. Stella turned around suddenly and felt very mortified. She pulled out her hanky and dabbed her eyes, trying not to smudge her make-up too much. She stood up straight and straightened out her blazer, trying to cover up the fact that she had been crying, but Frank could see straight through her.

"Ah, Frank, your team has a mission." Her voice was a bit shaky, but she shook it off and gave him the files on the round table. Frank took them off of her, but he didn't snatch them; he tried not to be so harsh and not let his depression take over.

He skimmed the files, picking up the words 'warehouse', 'SKUL' and 'successor'. He looked up at Stella, wanting a full explanation.

"Well, we've had an anonymous tip off that the possible successor for the Grand Master has been spotted around this warehouse for a few days. I want your team to go and check it out… see if they can find any clues. But be careful, I've heard that the successor is a trained assassin." Frank felt a little faint, from the pressure and his health. Stella noticed his pale skin immediately.

"Frank, are you okay? You look a bit pale." She wheeled over and gestured for him to sit down. She put the back of her hand against his forehead; it felt very hot.

"Frank, you need to cool down. Have you eaten today?" He shook his head. Stella grew worried and went to search the base for Tom's biscuits. They weren't exactly healthy, but they were food. She eventually found them inside one of the draws Tom used frequently; now she knew the reason why.

"Here Frank, eat some of these." He refused to eat the biscuits and became very stubborn.

"Frank, eat the biscuits; that's an order." Stella replied sternly. Frank shook his head once again and pressed his lips together. Stella rolled her eyes; he was behaving like a four-year-old.

"Just eat one– "

"No, Stella! I don't want any biscuits! Just go. I don't need your help." She looked away, really upset at Frank's recent behaviour. She knew that this wasn't him. Something was up. And she was going to find out what.

"Fine! The _one_ time you're acting strangely, the _one_ time I've tried to help you with an individual concern, you push me away." She stormed back into the tunnels for the second time that day.

"Yeah?! Well now you know how I feel!" He called after her. He swore that he heard a sob, but his subconscious was probably trying to make himself feel even worse than be already was. Frank slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. _London, you're an idiot,_ he mentally cursed himself.

He hasn't eaten much those past few days, or slept much for that matter; his anger and irritability have been out of control. He's felt so useless, both from M.I.9 and care-taking; he hasn't done anything whole-heartedly since that first day he found out and most of the time his energy just seemed to drain from his body. He now, 100%, believed that he was depressed.

That's when he decided to take a visit to M.I.9 HQ. He didn't know what he was going to do, probably just wander around the building, but he did know that it was a risky move. If he bumped into Stella, things would get a heck of a lot awkward and he didn't need that; he just needed to clear his head and get rid of all the crap.

Abandoning the mission and walking into the tunnels, he could smell Stella's perfume. What did he expect? She used those tunnels all the time. He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and walked along the tunnels.

Reaching M.I.9 HQ, he could see a few faces that were a little surprised to see him, but they carried on with their work. He walked up quite a few stairs until he came across a room he hadn't seen in a long time: Edward Dixon-Halliday's office. That was where Rose, Carrie and Oscar worked with his dad. Frank missed them so much and really wanted to see them, but he couldn't let them see him like that; so he walked past feeling very guilty.

He walked down a few stairs on the other side of the building and on his left he saw a training room full of teenagers doing hand-to-hand combat in sync; it was like an army. On the other side of the room he saw two very familiar faces: they both looked around twenty years old. The man had his arm around the women's shoulders. She smiled up at him and he kissed her forehead. She then rested her head on his shoulder and smiled at the teenagers. Frank smiled sadly; sure he was happy for both of them, but it only reminded him of what he and Stella once were. Peering closer at the label on the door, he read:

 _Team Alpha. Co-officers Whittaker and Millar._

Frank continued to walk through the building until he reached the cafeteria. He suddenly felt really hungry, which was unusual for him – but then again, he was depressed. So many things were different about him. He grabbed an already-made coffee from the machine and walked over to sit at an empty table. Sipping his coffee, he glanced at the room around him. Everything seemed so organised and everyone seemed so happy, so why couldn't he be? He knew the reason. That reason had just walked right through those cafeteria doors.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry if this chapter is really similar to previous ones (e.g. Frank's emotions) but I'm not sorry XD**

 **As Gina off Brooklyn Nine Nine says, "Mmkay. No hard feelings but, I hate you. Not joking. Bye!" XD XD**

 **Except I don't hate you guys, I just 'don't value you as people'. (Also a Brooklyn Nine Nine Gina quote. Don't take it personally. Just watch the show on YouTube and you'll be less confused.)**

 **Okay, enough Brooklyn Nine Nine quotes. Please don't take them personally because they are jokes. My sense of humour is weird… XD**

 **Sorry… Not sorry… XD**

 **Jasmine xoxo**

 _Sipping his coffee, he glanced at the room around him. Everything seemed so organised and everyone seemed so happy, so why couldn't he be? He knew the reason, and that reason walked right through those cafeteria doors._

Frank groaned and sipped more of his coffee while he watched Stella grab a cup of her own. Why was he watching her? Yes, he still loved her, but he didn't have time for any of her crap at this point in time. He stood up and tried to sneak away from her, but she saw him.

"Frank! Can I talk to you?" Frank froze and turned his head slowly towards Stella. He was shocked to say the least. She started to walk towards him, coffee in hand.

"Are you actually serious? _Now_ you want to talk?! You're insane!" Frank started to wave his free hand about with crazy gestures, but Stella gently touched his arm, stopping him immediately.

"Frank, I just want to know what's wrong. This isn't the same Frank I know." Frank was a bit surprised that she used a gentle tone in her voice instead of the usual stern one. He soon snapped out of it and shook her hand away.

"You can't know; it's personal. Now if you'll excuse me – " Frank turned on his heel and walked away, knowing Stella was studying him from behind. He knew that she would figure it out sooner or later, but he just needed to focus on _his_ life, and right now, Stella wasn't a part of it.

He walked out of the building and through the tunnels to the St Hearts underground base. He wanted to get his mind off Stella, but care-taking wasn't going to do the trick; he honestly couldn't be bothered. _Oh no,_ he thought, _if I'm losing interest in daily activities, the depression is getting worse. But I don't_ want _to do it; it's just so… Ugh!_

After his mental war with himself, he finally decided to walk to the lift and relax in the cupboard. He didn't feel like going down to HQ because Stella would probably nag him to tell her what's wrong. How would she react if he told her that he had depression? He had absolutely no idea, but she probably wouldn't cry; Stella never cries.

He got a bit bored thinking about Stella, so he decided to just play around on his Spy-Pod. He always upgraded and downloaded new applications when he could – he was in the gadget department after all. CCTV was the most interesting thing for him because he just loved to look around and see what was going on around him. While looking at the screen he saw the last person that he wanted to: Stella.

She was pacing up and down HQ and talking to herself. All Frank could see was her opening and closing her mouth numerous times. Frank frowned; he wanted to know what she was saying. He zoomed in closer and turned the volume up and was shocked as to what he could hear.

" _Anger and irritability… That's not like Frank at all. He would make a joke out of almost everything or become very serious, but he wouldn't get angry just because I asked what's wrong."_ Stella continued to pace up and down HQ. Frank knew that Stella always thought out loud when she wanted to process her thoughts.

" _He isn't eating; that's not like him either. Last time I checked he always ate three meals a day, just like every other agent. And every now and again I see him sneak in a snack during missions."_ Stella smirked. Frank half-smiled; he hadn't seen Stella laugh properly in a while.

" _He also looks really tired and has bags under his eyes. Maybe his sleeping patterns have changed too? And the team told me that he hadn't been doing any of his jobs around St Hearts… No! No no no no no! He can't- can he? Oh no, how did this happen?!"_ Frank must've realised something, otherwise he wouldn't have pulled the broom handle. Upon seeing Stella, he frowned with confusion as to why her head was buried in her hands. She lifted her head, hearing the lift doors opened and saw Frank sit down, staring at her.

Stella tried so hard not to stare at him, but she couldn't help it. She saw him take out his iPad, glancing at her every now and again. Every time he looked up, she saw his eyes filled with sorrow, but she had grown accustomed to that look over the past few days. She never saw a blank expression on Frank's face; she knew him too well. He bit his lip, sliding his finger across the screen on his iPad. Then that final that he looked up and he caught her, a fire started to burn his eyes. Stella knew that this wasn't going to end well.

"Why the _heck_ do you keep staring at me?! It's not nice to stare." If it wasn't for the circumstances, Stella would've bitten back a laugh.

"What are you hiding Frank?" Frank looked a little taken back by her question. He grew angrier by the second and jumped out of his chair, smashing yet another iPad against the round table.

"I'm not hiding anything! Why would you care anyway? Just go; you're not helping." Stella's face scrunched up; she couldn't take it anymore.

"Right! That is it! I have had it with this unprofessional behaviour that's coming from you! Honestly, I ask _one_ question and suddenly you're having a go at me! You know that you're not allowed to talk to your bosses like this, especially as you've been a part of M.I.9 for a number of years. I have a right mind to suspend you, but I'm going to give you one more chance, _one_ chance then it's all over for you!" Her voice grew louder with every step she took towards him; he took a step back until she had him backed away in the corner.

Frank was surprised to say the least; he knew he shouldn't have a go at her every time she asked him what was wrong, but it was like a demon possessing him. He would flip out and he saw the hurt flash across her face every time. He knew this time she couldn't take it, and with that thought Stella pulled away from his gaze and stormed into the lift.

 _You are such an idiot Frank. Stop hurting the one person that you love._


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello people! Blah blah blah... Let's cut to the chase. I haven't been uploading because  
** **1) My teachers are stacking the homework on me and  
** **2) I couldn't find the laptop  
** **So yeah, that's the story of my life... And no, I didn't intend to do that because I really super duper hate One Direction with a passion no offence).**

 **So... I've been told that there is an M.I. High Forum starting up (thank you MiHighObsessive) and if you like, you can copy and paste this link here:** **forum/MI-High-is-the-best/180529/**

 **So yeah... hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Sorry if you don't; I tried. Sorry, I'm very sleep deprived at the moment so that might also be a reason why I won't update regularly.**

 **Enjoy,  
Jasmine xoxo**

Frank didn't flinch when he heard the lift doors opening; he knew it was the team. He was sat on a swivel chair, his back facing them and Stella. It was the next day and Stella had some time to cool off, as well as Frank. The team were completely oblivious as to what was going on, until they came down the lift for their next mission. Stella took a deep breath and started to brief them.

"Ah, team, I have a new mission for you." Stella turned around and a picture came up on the screen. While her back was turned, Aneisha took a glance at Frank and started to worry; she could literally feel the tension through the air. It was so thick, she bet that Keri's laser lashes couldn't even break through it. Her focus was brought back to the screen when Stella started to talk.

"This is Alexander Luxembourg, potential successor for The Grand Master. He has been caught on CCTV revisiting this sewer hatch multiple times. Every time he enters the hatch, he is seen as a scrawny man, but when he exits, all of his muscles have grown a massive size. There has also been many burglaries around the area and it seems too much of a coincidence. We want you to find out what's going on down there and if he really is the successor." Keri looked confused, while the others nodded.

"This is flimsy evidence. You can't blame this guy for looking fit!" Keri started to stare at Alexander's muscles, even if he did look about forty years old.

"My superiors and all of M.I.9's top scientists have all agreed that this is deeply wrong. Now off you go. Tom, stay here on Comms; this could get messy." Tom silently cheered and slumped onto his favourite chair.

"I'll say. We're going into the _sewers_ for goodness sake. That's totally disgusting!" Dan rolled his eyes and pushed Keri into the lift. Before she entered the lift, Aneisha ran up to Tom.

"Keep an eye on Frank and Stella; something isn't right." She whispered in his ear so quietly, neither Frank or Stella could've heard a word she was saying, even with their years and years of spy training.

Once the three spies had entered the lift and the doors closed, Tom turned on his chair to face the computer screen. He kept taking sneaky glances at Frank, who had finally turned around to face the round table in the middle of HQ. Stella leaned against the round table, facing Tom's computer and also taking sneaky glances at Frank.

Frank was oblivious to this however, completely ignoring his years of spy training. He was more focused on the fact that he was in the base with Stella, again. He knew that the last couple of times they were in there together, things didn't end too well for both him or Stella. But he also knew that Tom was in the room, so maybe she would be professional and not yell or get emotional again.

Stella knew she had to be a little more professional than the last few times she was in the base because Tom was sitting there on Comms. If she didn't keep up her image, what would Tom think of her? She was oblivious to the fact that all four of the teenage spies saw the CCTV footage of when Frank first had a go at her.

Tom was usually not the sort of person to pay attention to other people around him, but ever since he became a spy he had become a lot more observant and in this case, there was no exception. He saw when Frank moved his head little to try steal a glance at Stella, he saw in the reflection of his computer when Stella looked away, but most of all, he felt the tension in the air. There was nothing he could do to break it. Tom got knocked out of his thoughts when he heard Dan's voice in his ear.

" _Tom, we've arrived at the sewers. We're going in. Have you got visual?"_ Toms fingers flew across the keyboard as he stared at the screen.

"Received, I have visual." Tom seemed pleased with himself – too bad Frank or Stella hadn't been paying any attention to anyone but each other.

" _Do we have to do this? I'd rather sit through double English with Mrs King!"_ Tom would've chuckled as he could see Dan push Keri into the sewers, but under the circumstances he wasn't in the mood. He turned off his communications for a short period of time and swivelled around in his chair to face Frank and Stella.

"Okay, this is getting out of hand. You guys need to sort it out because this tension is so thick I can't concentrate on the mission. So please, if you guys are gonna resolve conflict, please go ahead, just in the tunnels." Both senior officers were a little taken back by Tom's calm, yet stern comment, but they both knew it was coming. Stella strolled into the tunnels, closely followed by Frank, who had finally decided to get his ass off of the chair.

Frank decided that they needed to install sound-proof glass; it was going to take a lot more than Comms to block the unpleasant sounds that were going to occur out from Tom's ears. He and Stella both stood facing each other, unsure of how to bring up the matter. Finally Stella couldn't take it anymore.

"I know what's going on." She blurted out. As soon as those words came out of her mouth, she wish that they had never been spoken and slapped her left hand over it; she knew that was one of the worst things to say.

"And what would that be?" Frank asked, looking anxiously, but sheepishly his shoes.

"I know what you've been going through and – "

"Know what I've been going through? Know what I've been going through?! You're kidding right?!" Frank screamed. Stella remained stern; she was slightly more used to this side of Frank.

"Yes, I have. I have been trained to read people and always follow my instincts, and right now, I know that you have – " This was the last straw for Frank; he didn't want anyone finding out, let alone Stella, his ex-girlfriend and boss.

"Right! That is it! Just stop invading into my personal life! You have literally never cared before, so don't start acting like you care now. Just… Stay out of my life." Stella screwed up her face and did one of the most unlikely Stella things to do; she screamed. She sent an ear-piercing scream through Frank, the tunnels and it could have possibly reached St Hearts 230 feet above them.

"No! It's not my fault that I want to know! I just want to help and all you do is push me away!" Frank folded his arms across his chest, just managing to hear her statement after her blood-curdling scream.

"Remind you of anyone?" Stella was about to storm away when she realised that storming away wasn't the best answer, so she tried a completely different retaliation method: she slapped him. She slapped Frank so hard across the face that if it wasn't for his impeccable balance, he probably would've fallen unconscious. Stella didn't react, she just walked past Frank with folded arms back into HQ. What she didn't realised was that even though Frank probably had a swollen face, he could still see a flash of guilt pass across her face, and then he really knew that she cared for him.


	8. Chapter 8

_What she didn't realised was that even though Frank probably had a swollen face, he could still see a flash of guilt pass across her face, and then he really knew that she cared for him._

"Well done, team. We didn't find anything of value, but you've successfully completed the mission." Stella gave them a thin smile. Frank sat across Tom's computer table while everyone else was standing at the round table. He had an ice pack held to his face and was breathing through gritted teeth; how could Stella do something like that?

"You can return to class." The teenage spies groaned dramatically but Stella just rolled her eyes.

"You know how I said I'd rather sit with double English wit Mrs King? That was _before_ we went into the sewers. But we seriously need showers, like, so badly, so I'm not gonna argue with you on this one." Everyone agreed while Stella pinched her nose, finally relieving her professionalism while the four spies walked into the lift.

"Yuck, this smells disgusting!" Frank managed to let out a chuckle.

"You sound like Keri." Stella choked out a small laugh, but it morphed into sobs and tears. Frank couldn't hear at first, but when he turned around and saw Stella, she was leaning against the round table, head in hands. He stood up, abandoning the ice pack and walking towards her. He placed a hand on hers gently, slowly stopping the tears. She pulled her hands away from her face to see Frank with a half swollen one; that just turned into more tears.

"Stella, tell me what's wrong." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. She gazed into his eyes, forgetting everything that had happened between them. He did the same. They forgot when they yelled at each other, they forgot all those times when they pushed each other away, they forgot about the violent physical contact. Frank and Stella both stared into each others' eyes, not thinking of anything in particular. Then they leaned in closer until their lips were only centimetres apart; that's when Stella remembered.

She looked down and walked two paces away from him. Frank stood there confused; what was she doing?

"Just make up your mind! Are you angry at me or do you care for me?! Why is this so complicated!" She stumbled into the lift, wiping her tears away angrily. She turned around and looked at Frank for the last time before the doors closed, showing the reason for this mess: himself. He groaned loudly; he could've made a move with the only person he had only allowed himself to fall for, and he blew it. Why did he yell at her?

 _What is wrong with me,_ he thought, _one minute I'm yelling at her for almost no reason, and the next I'm about to kiss her!_ Frank honestly thought that he had lost it all: his chances with Stella; his job, and maybe even his chance to live an emotionally stable life.

Frank could still save on of those things. He scurried into the lift, desperate to finish his jobs for the day before Mr Flatley – or worse still, Mrs King – scolded at him and potentially suspend him. The jobs he needed to complete anyway, was to mop the cafeteria floor, pick up all of the rubbish for the corridors, empty the bins in the girls' toilet… Ugh, that was worse than cleaning the boys'. The bins were always overflowing of… _unhygienic sanitary items._

He suddenly had to urge to sort files in the M.I.9 base – which was very strange for him, since he hates to sort files – but he shook it off and continued to walk down the corridor with his cart of care-taking tools; if he wanted to overcome his depression, he had to shake off all of his negative thoughts. He saw some of the students look strangely at him, but they went back to their gadgets and gizmos; they've never really payed attention to the caretaker.

But all Frank could think about was Stella. Every time another memory came back to him involving her, his heart weighed heavily of guilt. He thought that any time soon it would just dropped out of his chest and roll away to the land of loneliness. He couldn't take this anymore; he had to fight the depression, but he couldn't take not talking to Stella. He loved her with all of his heart, but he knew that Stella probably thought the opposite.

The more he thought about her, the more determined he was to finish his jobs and fight his condition. If he didn't relieve it, he might never work as a spy again; his spy career was his life, other than Stella, but she seemed to fade from his world every time he saw her. He did blame her for everything, and that isn't a lie, but he should be comforting her and not screaming at her and having multiple mood swings. It wasn't natural for him to have so many mood swings, especially because he's a grown man.

He kept encouraging himself that he could finish his jobs, he could overcome his depression and go back to his normal life where everything – well, almost everything – was perfect. He would never take his normal life to advantage again.

 **Yo guys! Sorry for the super long wait! I have been neglecting my stories a bit because in Australia, we are half way through term 3 of the year therefore we have a lot of assignments, tests and homework. And yeah, it really sucks. I've just being trying to balance out all my studies so I don't get low grades like C's and stuff, but I'm back now! Yay!**

 **A little notice on my stories:  
I've only got a few more chapters of 'Brick by Brick' (The collab story between Harry in the Hunger Games, xoxhopiexox, ImagineHope123 and I) but I've got a bit of writer's block on that. Yikes!  
I know this is disappointing for some of you, but I have major writer's block on Life Changing. I know, it's a disaster! I do have ideas for future chapters, just not chapter 6. If any of you would PM me something, that would be greatly appreciated and I'll give you a shout out :)  
And 'Rejection'... I am currently writing more chapters for that! I don't have writer's block for that story (Thank God!) but I've got to warn you all that Chapter's nine, ten and eleven are a little bit of a filler, a little bit of getting in Frank's head.  
I hope you will all read them when I update and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
Jasmine xoxo**

 **P.S Sorry this chapter was so short! But future chapters will be longer I promise!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry guys, a bit of filler chapter and more emotions. Sorry if you're getting a bit sick of his thoughts, but you gotta deal with it, mostly because this story is third person limited. It's also really short for my liking, but I hope you enjoy it anyway :)**

 _He kept encouraging himself that he could finish his jobs, he could overcome his depression and go back to his normal life where everything – well, almost everything – was perfect. And he swore that he would never take his normal life to advantage again._

Frank read over his list and shivered in disgust.

 _Mop cafeteria floor_

That was one of the jobs he hated the most. The students always left the most disgusting food on the floors. Mushed peas, pre-chewed gum, used napkins, bean stew… Then he realised that it wasn't bean stew, or it certainly didn't smell like it anyway.

So he soaked his mop in a big bucket of hot, soapy water and flung it onto the floor, moving it around in circles and clearing away the disgusting bacteria that lurked all over. It smelt gross and Frank couldn't take it anymore; he had to do something to get rid of it. If he could make an invention to suck away the smell, he would in a heartbeat, but that meant he would be distracted from his above-ground job. So he just had to suck it up and put a basic peg on his nose to get rid of some of the smell. It was better than the full scent.

Even though he had been doing this cover job for five years, his arms were getting tired. He wiped a bit of sweat off of his forehead and then realised that he had only mopped half of the floor. He groaned in annoyance and decided to start on another and get back to his current one later; he was really bored. If he wanted to break his habit and rid his depression, he would have to stay on a streak, or he would probably do something he would regret. Again.

That brought him back to Stella. She has seriously got to get out of my head, he thought. He was a bit miffed when he realised almost everything be thought of would bring him back to Stella, so he tried to think of something that had nothing to do with her. He thought for a long time, and then he had it.

Unicorns.

He thought unicorns would bring Stella out of his thoughts, but unfortunately his was wrong. Unicorns were beautiful and of course he thought Stella was beautiful, so obviously be made that connection. Dammit, he thought, he would never get rid of the thought of her. He wanted to so bad, because every time he thought about her, it would bring him back to when he had yelled at her so many times, and in one week too.

Thinking about not thinking of Stella was getting on his nerves and because of his concentration, he walked into a door.

Doors.

That's it, he thought as he rubbed his head. Doors didn't have anything to do with Stella. So that's what he stayed with for a few minutes; he was just thinking about different types of doors. Brown doors, white doors, secret doors, glass doors that he always walked into and so on. He felt happier – which was a first – that he had thought about something that wasn't Stella.

But then he remembered when he went to see Stella once and he got a bit carried away with the knock. He started to make different sounds with the different parts of his hands and bobbed his head to the beat. He didn't realise her standing there for a few minutes, watching him having a full out jamming session on her door. When he finally did, he completely forgot what he went to see her for and almost bumped into everything while trying to run away from embarrassment. He chuckled a little at the memory, but it still brought him sorrow.

Honestly, Stella was his life, the love of his life, but for the past week she had been bringing him bad memories, horrible memories. Like when he went all out at her because she cared for him; when he refused her offer because she wanted to look after him and when he always ignored her when she asked what was wrong. To be fair, he had done all of these things to her and she rejected him, but be didn't believe in all that karma crap. He didn't think karma was a b****, because there was no such thing; God always routed your path or he let life take you through it, go with the flow.

But he couldn't help it. He couldn't help it if a demon took over him whenever he got the slightest bit angry; he couldn't help it when his emotions changed because of his depression and he couldn't help it when his brain wanted to change actions. That wasn't him. The real Frank would've calmed down; he would've controlled his emotions and he would persist in his actions. This was a dark side of Frank that no one in his life had seen before, and no one planned to see it again, not even him.


End file.
